Top 10: The Ten Most Popular Developer Articles in 2024
As the year comes to an end, we take the opportunity to summarize the most-read articles of the year on Heise Developer. This year’s top 10 includes a diverse mix of programming languages like TypeScript, Rust, and Java, as well as tools, artificial intelligence, and platform engineering.
10th Place: Practical Use of Artificial Intelligence in Software Architecture
Ralf D. Müller explains how artificial intelligence, particularly large language models like ChatGPT, can assist software architects in design, review, and diagram creation without sending internal data to the cloud. These models enhance the quality of responses by efficiently using dialogue contexts and can independently validate code, which is useful for proof of concepts. While AI can provide outdated information and has biases, it offers valuable support but does not fully meet the specific needs of software architects.
9th Place: From C to Rust Kernel – A Project Report on Efficiency and Security
Dr. Stefan Lankes explores the feasibility and practicality of switching from the C programming language to Rust in a kernel project, focusing on efficiency and security. He highlights Rust’s advantages, such as a safe memory model without garbage collection, which prevents security vulnerabilities, and the ease of development through the Crate system and the package manager Cargo. The transition requires some adjustments, and despite the benefits, there are risks from unsafe code blocks. Rust is becoming an attractive alternative to C, especially for security-critical applications.
8th Place: Source Code Editor Zed – Experiences from a Year with an Underdog
In January 2024, the team behind the code editor Zed, also known for their work on the Atom editor, announced that Zed is now available as open source. Stefan Baumgartner shares his experiences with the source code editor after a year of use. Zed, written in Rust, impresses with its fast interface and minimalist design. Although it does not yet offer a comprehensive plugin ecosystem, it supports important languages like JavaScript and Rust well. The code editor is free but charges for collaborative work.
7th Place: Ed Burns – Java Can Outshine Any Other Current Language
This entry is an interview with Ed Burns, Principal Architect of Java at Microsoft. We asked him how the Java programming language remains attractive to young developers compared to “cool” languages like Kotlin or Rust. Ed Burns emphasizes the powerful features of Java, such as virtual threads and pattern matching. The challenge for Java lies not in its technical capabilities but in the narrative that appeals to young developers. Burns highlights that while Java’s age has led to a wealth of features ensuring backward compatibility, it also influences the language’s image.
6th Place: After XZ Backdoor – Open Source Software as Risk or Strategic Advantage?
In March 2024, alarm bells rang in the IT security sector when software developer Andres Freund discovered a backdoor in the “xz Utils” project, known as the “XZ Backdoor.” It became clear that the backdoor had been planned for a long time and was already found in initial software repositories. The attacker almost gained access to a large portion of all Linux servers. Florian v. Samson examines the risks and advantages of open-source software in the context of the XZ Backdoor. The incident highlights both the vulnerability of open-source software to manipulation and its inherent transparency advantages that allow for quicker detection.